One Year Anniversary

When I started NorwalkNet a year ago, I wasn't sure what to expect.  I was a relative newbie to the inside machinations of the Norwalk Public Schools. Although I grew up attending public schools in Norwalk,  my kids are still young and I had little experience with anything other than the classroom.   I had written about education for other publications so I thought I would contribute to our public schools doing what I do best--journalism.  One year and 211 posts later, I'm still at it.  And I have to say, that blogging about NPS has been an incredibly rewarding and fascinating experience, more than I had imagined.   And what a year to be covering NPS--an election, a new sup, a storm, a 0% increase budget.  All of the national educations issues (think: Race to the Top) play out here in a micro setting.  I have learned so much about education, how decisions are made and not made and school/city governance.

In one year, without any advertising, NorwalkNet receives thousands of visitors a month.  I have thought about ways to make NorwalkNet better, more visual and to market it better, but my time is limited and I want to stay focus on my core mission which is the news. (Remember, you can always donate by clicking the button on the right!)

I truly believe that everyone of you that participates in this forum wants Norwalk Public Schools to be the absolute best it can be.    I also believe that an informed public is a strong one and that honest discourse is a vital part of continually improving our schools.  I'm excited about the coming year.

And for a walk down memory lane, here is my first post:

Welcome to NorwalkNet. This is a blog primarily about public schools in Norwalk (at least for now). My aim is to provide an independent source of news about the Board of Education, school leadership, curriculum, events, and student accomplishments. NorwalkNet will also include links to useful information from other news sources. I hope this site will provide a forum for Norwalkers to discuss the issues affecting our children’s education.

Like many of you I am a concerned parent who believes in public education. However in order to have excellent schools we need to be engaged not only in our particular child’s classroom, but ask larger questions about the system itself and hold our leaders accountable.

There’s a lot to keep track of. Last month alone we’ve seen the Board of Education agonize over the 2009-2010 school budget.Countless hours were spent trying to decide whether or to stop funding Norwalk High's pool (they are), whether to cut back on teaching assistants at Columbus Magnet School (they aren't), and whether to eliminate some central office positions (they are). Just as the budget was finalized Salvatore Corda, Norwalk's superintendant, suddenly announced he was quitting. 

Later this year in November we’ll have school board elections. It’s important to know who is running for these seats and why. After all not only do these officials control a $151 million budget (our property taxes) the decisions that they make affect our children. These are trying, but potentially exciting times for education in Norwalk.

I’m planning on writing 3-5 posts a week and looking to do longer pieces every couple of weeks. I plan on covering the BOE and other committee meetings. I plan to pay special attention to the search for a new superintendent. Please let me know what stories I should be covering or if you would like to guest blog feel free to contact me.